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Recently I started playing around with one of Mozart's chord progressions and, as a result, this song grew. I had no previous song-ideas that I wanted to develop, so I simply entered the chord progression into BIAB, selected the style _DREARY.STY and just kept playing the progression over and over until the opening phrase "Give me happy, give me hope" sprang to mind and settled into place. I chose _DREARY.STY because it is a 12/8 style and Mozart's chord progression was in 6/8, and the 12/8 style sat comfortably with it. Coincidentally, the name of the style also influenced the lyrics for the bridge since the word "dreary" led my lyrics to a place that was in direct contrast to the ideas of happiness and hope  Here is where Mozart, BIAB, the thought "Give me happy, give me hope," and the word "dreary" took me... I hope you enjoy the journey! --Noel P.S. I'll cover Mozart's chord progression more thoroughly in the next post. BIAB BandGuitar: RT 827 Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Country Waltz Sw 110 Guitar: RT 2054 Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryWaltzBrent Sw 110 Baritone Guitar: RT 3719 Guitar, Baritone Acoustic, Rhythm AmericanaSwingWaltz Sw 120 Mandolin: RT 3369 Mandolin, Rhythm OldTimeyWaltzAndy Sw 090 Mandolin: RT 3379 Mandolin, BackgroundSoloist OldTimeyWaltzAndy Sw 090 Bass: RT 1122 Bass, Acoustic, CountryWaltz Sw 110 Drums: RealDrums NashClassicWaltzSw^1 Production InfoVocals: Synthesizer V with the "Liam" voice, processed with iZotope Nectar 4 Final output: iZotope Ozone 11
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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More about Mozart's chord progressionThe idea to use a chord progression of Mozart came from a post by @floyd jane in my previous song "This Tree". Floyd noted that the backing of This Tree had a classical-music flavour, and he asked if it was due to Mozart's influence. Floyd's comment got me thinking that Mozart could definitely be a treasure trove for songwriters. So I began experimenting Mozart's Piano Sonata K331 in A major is one of my favourite piano works. I learnt it many years ago and have always enjoyed playing it. I manually transcribed the chord progression and typed it into BIAB. Because this work of Mozart's is rather lengthy, I only used the first part of the chord progression up to the section that is labelled "Var. I". The progression up to this point is a variation of AABA format. Since the AABA format is one of my personal favourites, I stayed with it. The song was originally in the key of A major (the same that Mozart used). As I played around with it, though, I changed chords here and there and put it into a 3/4 time signature. I also transposed the song to C major so that it sat more comfortably for a male tenor. If anyone is interested listening to my original BIAB chordsheet in A major, it can be downloaded using the link below. Please feel free to use it if you wish to. Mozart Piano Sonata K331 - chord progression
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Very nice, good news tracks are always welcoming.
Donny
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Noel, very nicely done! Like the subject a lot, and the acoustic arrangement sounds quite nice. Love the melody you've carved from the progression, too. The vocals are very strong and clear. I'm going to GUESS it's a synth vocal just based on the overall dynamics. But there are also quite a few cool "human" touches that gives me pause. So it could just be a very talented vocalist. At any rate, this is an outstanding song, expertly performed and mixed. Great job!
DC Ron
BiaB Audiophile
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Really sensitive Noel, lots to like about this, warming and thoughtful.
The mandolin break slotted in really well, and I like the way the rhyming works, with nested phrasings. Sweet.
BIAB & RB2025 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
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Expert
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Really enjoyed the use of BiaB instrumentation in this song. The beautiful mandolin solo fits the theme perfectly.
Some favourite Waoist Adages:
#1: Play on the Way.
#13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you.
#58: Bring consciousness to it.
#63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made.
#92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
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Noel, this is stunning. This could be your signature track, in the sense that it epitomises what your music is about ... real positivity, even in the face of adversity. Many positive people sound contrived, to me ... you don't. I don't know how you do it, but there we are ... I believe you, with every line and every verse, and I end up smiling, no matter my previous mood, and no matter what song of yours I listen to. Well done ... it's 7:06 in the morning, here, and you've just put a grin as wide as my face on said face, together with a feeling of optimism for the day ahead. Loved your singing, too Oh, and: if you hadn't mentioned the Mozart chord progression, I would have never guessed the source of your inspiration. This is you, all the way, for me. Hats off, BRAVO.
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Noel,
This is very inspired piece...
An amazing and beautiful production. The mix is excellent. Your sound is so identifiable.
Magic!
Bob
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Brilliantly creative approach to writing this gem of a waltz, Noel. Cheery for sure. The mando solo was the perfect choice. Excellent and happy vocal. "Give me happy; give me hope." What a terrific write.
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That's such a killer hook right out of the gate: Give Me Happy. I would never have guessed this was Mozart. A really great song, loved the positivity (your forte) and the way it flowed. Great work, Noel!
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
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A Mozart chord progression, a synth vocal, and a BiaB style, who would have thought it would come out so good. Brilliant work Noel. Loved those lyrics and instruments. Super mix.
IMHO your best to date.
Last edited by MarioD; Yesterday at 03:58 PM.
I'm no longer allowed to go caroling at the psych hospital.
I guess Do You Hear What I Hear was a bad song choice!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Hi Donny.
Thanks for passing through the thread and having a listen. Much appreciated.
--Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Noel, very nicely done! Like the subject a lot, and the acoustic arrangement sounds quite nice. Love the melody you've carved from the progression, too. The vocals are very strong and clear. I'm going to GUESS it's a synth vocal just based on the overall dynamics. But there are also quite a few cool "human" touches that gives me pause. So it could just be a very talented vocalist. At any rate, this is an outstanding song, expertly performed and mixed. Great job! Hi Ron. It's good to see you. Thank you for dropping in. Your guess is correct. I hadn't got around to posting that additional bit of information before your visit. The voice is "Liam" from Dreamtronics. These days, when I use the vocaloids, I spend a lot of time working with them and try my best to model the exact way that I sing the song. This involves me singing phrases and sections and then working within Synth V to replicate what I hear. I also process the lyrics the same way that I process my own vocals. It takes a while to create the final product. My hope is that this approach assists with enhancing the 'realism effect'. --Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2025
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Hi Noel!
An interesting idea for a source and you turned it into something completely different. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't mentioned. The result has turned out really well.
About 12 months ago, I had toyed with the idea of using the implied chord progression from the first part of Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy to see if anyone would recognise the source - not for deceit but as an experiment, because the chord movements sound very distinctive. I guess I've ruined the surprise of that idea now, so I will hold off for a while.
Anyway, you saw yours through to fruition with a good result - well done!
Andrew
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Beautiful, I love everything about your song. And all your work with the Synth V singer really paid off - beautiful, warm, and authentic vocals. And thank you for describing your process in such detail. I just LOVE reading these "behind the scenes" notes ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif)
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